The present invention relates to a tone signal creating apparatus and a method of creating tone signals capable of creating a wide variety of tone signals by virtually simulating signal control processes regarding generation of tone signals, amplification of tone signals and effect impartment to tone signals.
Heretofore, a tone signal creating apparatus and a program that pseudoly or virtually synthesizes tones of a natural musical instrument by carrying out simulation in accordance with a predetermined physical model based on a tone production mechanism (tone signal generation characteristic) of the natural musical instrument on a digital signal control processing device such as a DSP (digital signal processor), or a dedicated hardware device constructed so as to include a discrete circuit, an integrated circuit or a large-scaled integrated circuit, are known. The invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2003-122368 is one example of such a tone signal creating apparatus.
Further, a wide variety of tone signals can be created by simulating appropriate combination of amplification and effect impartment of tone signals including not only a tone signal generated by simulation, but also a tone signal generated on the basis of actual string vibration in natural musical instruments such as an acoustic piano or electronic musical instruments such as an electronic piano, for example. For that reason, one or more detailed parameter characterizing control characteristics in a plurality of signal processing sections (referred to as “element blocks”) that carry out signal control processes corresponding to the signal amplification and the effect impartment in addition to tone signal generation is prepared. For example, as shown in “Owner's Manual of GW50 GUITAR PERFORMANCE EFFECTOR”, 1993, issued by YAMAHA Corporation, searched in the Internet (see http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/emi/english/synth/GW50E.PDF), a user operates a predetermined set-up operator while looking a screen and the like prepared in advance, whereby settings of parameters can be carried out. Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 08-076752 discloses technique (so-called autoload function) to automatically load tone information stored in an external storage medium on an internal memory of a tone signal generation device without carrying out complicated operation.
Now, the user is allowed for so-called “sound production (or tone generation)” by setting up various parameters for determining the respective characteristics to each of the element blocks that carry out the signal control processes according to the tone signal generation, the signal amplification and the effect impartment described above. Therefore, it is thought that the user stores parameters set up in advance by other device in a USB memory or the like, the USB memory is attached (or inserted) to the tone signal generation device, and set-up parameters are autoloaded in an internal memory in the device. The setting of the parameters by autoloading is a convenient function, but the parameters of the internal memory are overwritten without the user's intention even though they have already been loaded. Thus, in the case where the user edited the parameters after loading, it is inconvenient because the edit content is to be lost. Namely, when a USB memory is attached again to the device after the parameter read from the USB memory has been edited, the edited parameter (data after edit) is to be overwritten into the parameter (data before editing) of the USB memory. For this reason, the edited parameter cannot be written into the USB memory.
Further, even though a parameter is copied between a plurality of USB memories, a parameter stored in a USB memory as a copy source is to be overwritten onto a parameter stored in a USB memory as a copy destination if the USB memory as the copy destination is attached to the device after the parameter is read from the USB memory as the copy source. Therefore, it cannot be copied. Moreover, in the case where the installed USB memory becomes a release state despite user's intention, it is inconvenient because the edit content is lost whenever the USB memory is reinstalled correctly.